Next weekend's Japanese MotoGP has been postponed to October 3 because of the severe disruption to international air travel caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, organisers said Monday.
Mobilityland Corporation, the Japanese operator of the TwinRing Motegi race circuit north of Tokyo, said the flight chaos had forced the race to be pushed back from this Sunday.
"Due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption causing flight cancellations by aviation operators, we have decided to postpone the MotoGP scheduled for this weekend," company president Hiroshi Oshima said in a statement.
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"Although the situation is beyond our control, we sincerely apologise to fans who have been eagerly waiting for the world's top-level race."
The new date of October 3 means the Japanese Grand Prix will be sandwiched between races at the Motorland Aragon circuit in Spain and one in Malaysia.
"It will be held half a year from now. We hope that fans will look forward to the added attraction," Oshima said, noting the championship contest will be heating up heading into its November climax.
A vast cloud of ash spewing from Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano since last Wednesday has forced airlines to cancel flights across most of Europe, leaving millions of passengers stranded around the globe.
About 30 countries have closed or restricted their airspace due to plane safety fears, catching 6.8 million passengers in a global backlog, according to the international airports council.
The Japanese event was originally going to be the season's second race after the Qatar Grand Prix on April 11, which was won by reigning world champion Valentino Rossi after bitter rival Casey Stoner crashed out.
In the new Moto2 category, which has replaced the 250cc series, Japan's Shoya Tomizawa battled from ninth on the grid to clinch a memorable victory in Qatar.
The next Grand Prix is scheduled for May 2 on the Jerez circuit in southern Spain. Rossi will benefit from the layoff, after suffering minor injuries in a motocross training fall on Friday.
